Stained With Blood
by Cheeseburger of Doom
Summary: [Warlords 2] Oshitari is known amongst the gangs as Death himself, for his ruthless way of living. He doesn't feel anything anymore...at least, not until he meets a relative of one of his victims. A relative that he is about to kill. [complete]
1. Part 1

A/N: This is the second in my Warlords series, starring Oshitari Yuushi the Sexy. This story turned out more Oshitari x Mukahi than it was intended to be, but the main pairing is, in fact, Oshitari x Kajimoto.

Warnings: Character death(s), much angst, immoral stuff, violence, etc. This story does not directly tie in with "When You Were With Me" (which is the first in the series) but it is in the same universe, and it introduces the other two gangs that were not mentioned in the first story.

"Warlords" #2

Stained with Blood

Part 1

Oshitari Yuushi enjoyed a good fight, so long as he didn't end up covered in blood. It wasn't that the blood made him sick -- it was too hard to get the blood out afterwards. He'd been raised in the gang, and killing came just as naturally as breathing. It was the way he lived, and he did not see any reason to change it. It never occurred to him that one day his life would change.

"You're ruthless," Atobe, the leader of the gang, said. Oshitari's trademark smirk crossed his face.

"Thank you."

"I didn't really mean it as a compliment, but take it as you will." Atobe eyed the corpse on the ground. "It was a bit overkill. I've told you not to do...that in front of Marui."

Oshitari did not think he would ever get used to Atobe saying things like that. Atobe was not the type to care about anyone or anything but himself, and perhaps the well-being of his gang, but ever since he'd picked up the orphan Marui on the streets, he'd been almost a like a pet to him.

"You are just as ruthless as I am, when you need to be," Oshitari said. "The man attacked me first. I don't need your lectures."

"Don't talk back to me."

"I wouldn't dream of it, leader," Oshitari said.

"Atobe...is it over?" Marui asked. He sounded utterly pathetic. Oshitari frowned. The boy was going to have to grow up one day, if he was a part of this gang. He couldn't stay squeamish forever.

"Yes, it's over. Let's head back."

-----

Oshitari reflected that Marui was probably one of the only people he actually disliked. He was indifferent towards most, but the pink-haired orphan got on his nerves. He knew it was probably because shortly after the arrival of the orphan, Atobe had put an end to their liaisons. Oshitari was by no means in love with his leader, but he did miss their occasional fling. Atobe was something else in bed, that was for sure. He wondered if Atobe was sleeping with Marui, but that thought was just too strange for words. It was probably because Marui had entered Atobe's room and found him with Oshitari in a compromising situation, and had been quite disturbed. There were no locks on the doors of a condemned building, and Marui tended to go to Atobe's room in search of comfort after having a nightmare -- which happened often.

"Yuushi."

"Hm?"

"You're spacing out again." Mukahi propped himself up on his elbows. "You always ignore me after we're done."

Oshitari chuckled. "Sorry, Gakuto. Would you like me to be more loving?"

"You, loving?" Mukahi snorted. "I don't think so."

Mukahi was Oshitari's cousin, and his long-time lover. Oshitari was with Mukahi on a more regular basis than he'd been with Atobe, but he hated restricting himself to one lover. It was boring, that way.

Not that Mukahi was ever boring, but still.

"I would like some attention though," Mukahi continued. "Since I'm such a great lover and all."

"I was just thinking," Oshitari said.

"Oh? About what?"

"About Atobe."

Mukahi snorted. "You in love with him, or what? You've been all jealous since the kid arrived."

"Me, jealous?"

"I know you well enough by now to know when you're jealous."

"Maybe a little, then."

"Atobe's hot, but you don't need him," Mukahi said. "You can have anybody else, anyway."

"True enough." It was amazing how Mukahi could get to the heart of the matter so quickly, and dismiss it even faster. "Maybe you're a little jealous of Atobe, for holding my affections?"

"You don't have any affection. You're a cold-hearted bastard," Mukahi stated.

"Hm. I suppose I am." Oshitari closed his eyes. "That's not a bad thing though, is it?"

Mukahi didn't answer. Oshitari assumed he was asleep.

-----

Once upon a time, Oshitari Yuushi had been a very sweet little boy. He'd always been rather quiet, but definitely not stupid; he just never had anything to say to anyone else. Mukahi was the only one he'd ever really talked to about anything. He'd come to know Oshitari very well. They were cousins after all; they'd always shared some kind of bond, even before they'd become lovers.

Mukahi knew Oshitari before he'd become the cold-hearted killer, the endless playboy. He'd known Oshitari when he was happy with only one lover. He could remember Oshitari Yuushi actually loving him.

He could remember the first day that Oshitari had killed someone, in self-defence. His eyes had gone very empty, and he'd looked over at Mukahi with a very scary expression.

"This is what being in the gang is all about," he'd said. Mukahi had felt something tear at his heart. Oshitari would never be the same again.

Mukahi himself had also changed. He wasn't the carefree little boy he'd once been. He had also realized what it meant to be in the gang. He had a lot more attitude these days, and he didn't care about as much as he used to -- at least, he liked to pretend that he didn't care anymore.

Mukahi felt that it was definitely a bad thing that Oshitari was a cold-hearted bastard. Sure, he was mysterious and sexy now, but he wasn't the Oshitari that Mukahi had always loved.

-----

Oshitari loved his motorcycle. It was always a thrill to fight on it, with any of the rival gangs. Usually, they fought Mizuki's gang, like they were going to tonight. The gang that had been the famous Sanada's at one point had been mostly peaceful, but now that Niou was leading it, they might have some dealings in the future. Inui's gang had been very peaceful as well, until Hiyoshi took over -- but that gang was completely extinct now. The four remaining gangs were reduced to three. It would not be very long before they died out completely.

Oshitari really didn't care one way or the other if the gangs survived or not. There was nothing in the world that mattered. He would continue to live his life, and if it ended, so what? Nothing mattered.

Atobe signalled for his gang to move up beside him. Mizuki's gang was in view.

The only thing that was not satisfying about fighting on motorcycles was the fact that everyone wore helmets, and faces could not be seen. The leaders of the gangs could be recognized by clothes that were better quality than the rest, but that was the only distinctive feature. He would have liked to see the face of the person he was going to kill. He always killed someone.

Oshitari wondered why anyone bothered to wear helmets when they were fighting to the death, anyway. Maybe it would be embarrassing to die in a motorcycle accident, after surviving a bullet wound. He always wore a helmet because Mukahi told him to, and it was amusing when Mukahi told him to do things; as if he had the right.

Oshitari picked one of the gang members that looked interesting. The one with the silver helmet would die tonight. Oshitari was looking forward to seeing his face, after he was dead. He always removed the helmet, later.

Are you good-looking?

Oshitari's bike raced forward.

He never knew what exactly happened that night that was different than any other. His technique was always the same, and it was always effective -- except for that night. Instead of killing the man, he knocked him off the bike. He skidded across the road, and landed just at the edge of the ditch. Oshitari got of his bike, and kneeled beside his prey. He took the helmet off, and looked into two very alive eyes. He never saw the person's face before he killed them.

Those eyes...

"Aren't you going to kill me?"

Oshitari realized that he'd been kneeling there for a long time. "Yes," he replied. "I'm going to kill you."

He couldn't move. Those eyes were staring into his. They shouldn't have been able to; he still had the helmet on, and yet the man was still piercing into his soul.

"Get it over with."

Oshitari raised his knife. It was his favorite weapon, although it tended to make a mess. "Before you die, can I know your name?"

"Why would I tell my murderer what my name is?"

Murder. That was a strong word. Oshitari had never considered it before.

Actually, that was a lie. He'd considered it once before, after his first kill. The word had bounced around in his head, and it had refused to leave for a long time. Then, his heart had become ice, and he it had never bothered him again.

Oshitari raised the knife again. He had to kill the man before him, his prey.

Someone drove by, and scooped the man up. Those eyes bored into Oshitari long after they were gone.

Murderer.

"Yuushi! What are you doing?" Mukahi asked. "Are you hurt or just stupid?"

Oshitari was staring at his knife. "Do you see the blood, Gakuto?"

"What? No! There's no blood on that thing."

"Not tonight," Oshitari said. He looked up at his cousin. "This is what it means to be in the gang."

Mukahi looked almost concerned for a moment, but that was so unlike him that Oshitari thought he must be imagining it.

"Let's go, Yuushi. The fight's over, Mizuki retreated. Like always."

"Yes, let's go."

It was ridiculous, but Oshitari could still feel those eyes on him, even though the man was long gone. He wondered if they would ever stop haunting him.

-----

Oshitari couldn't sleep anymore. Every time he went to sleep, he had nightmares about those eyes. They consumed him. There was only one solution he could think of; he had to find that man again, and demand to know why he held such power over him. What was the name of the man that haunted Oshitari's nightmares? He had to know. He had to know the name of the man who's face he had seen...

"Yuushi. What the hell is up with you?" Mukahi demanded. "You look like shit."

"Why thank you, Gakuto."

"Seriously, you look like you haven't been sleeping at all," Mukahi said.

"I haven't been."

"Your eyes are always closed when I look at you. Are you faking sleep?"

Oshitari wondered why Mukahi was bothering to concern himself with it. "Just resting my eyes. I don't know why I can't sleep lately."

That was a lie, but Mukahi wouldn't call him on it. He did not feel like explaining about the nightmares. He did not feel like explaining his obsession.

"You better start sleeping, or next time, someone's going to kill you."

"No one can kill me," Oshitari said. He wasn't so sure of that anymore. He felt like those eyes were killing him slowly, from the inside.

-----

Atobe gave Oshitari a strange look. "You want me to issue a challenge with Mizuki so soon after the last fight?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I have unfinished business," Oshitari said. "My prey got away from me."

"You really are ruthless."

"You keep saying that. Is that why you won't sleep with me anymore?" Oshitari laughed at the annoyed look on Atobe's face. "You'll get wrinkles like that."

"I don't let you sleep with me anymore because I've lost interest," Atobe said. "You aren't the best lover around, no matter what you seem to think."

"Issue the challenge."

"Don't give me orders."

"Issue the challenge, please."

"Don't give me that, either." Atobe shook his head. "I don't want to have another fight this soon. Jiroh and Shishido were injured badly in the last."

"A small challenge, then. All I want is that one man."

"Which one?"

"He wouldn't tell me his name," Oshitari said. "He had..." How to describe those eyes? No, he did not want to go there. "He wore a necklace."

"That isn't much to go by."

Oshitari shrugged. "I am not good at remembering faces. I remember bodies better. His was a good one."

"I'll issue the challenge when Shishido and Jiroh are healed," Atobe said. "You'll have to wait until then."

Oshitari bowed his head. "Yes, boss."

"Get out of here."

Oshitari complied.

TBC


	2. Part 2

Part 2

Oshitari was happy to see the silver helmet again. He knew it was the same man and not someone borrowing the helmet, because he recognized the body. He always recognized the body.

This time, he knocked the man off the bike on purpose.

Those eyes were the same as last time.

"Who are you?" Oshitari demanded.

The man did not answer. Oshitari drove the knife into his shoulder. He screamed.

The sound did not give him any satisfaction, like usual. He could see the man's face. He could see the man's face before he was dead....He was a living person.

It was just like the first time, only it wasn't in self-defence. He wasn't thirteen years old anymore, either. It was seven years later, and he was different.

Maybe not as different as he'd thought.

Oshitari took his helmet off. "This is the face of your murderer," he said. "My name is Oshitari."

The man pulled the knife out of his shoulder, gasping in pain the entire time, and handed it back to Oshtiari.

"My name is Kajimoto."

Kajimoto. That name sounded familiar. In fact, now that he thought about it, those eyes were familiar.

"Your brother tried to kill me," Oshitari said. "I fought back. He died."

"I remember you," Kajimoto said. "I swore never to forget you. I swore to get revenge on you."

"I had no choice but to kill him."

"You have a choice now," Kajimoto said.

Oshitari looked at the blood on his knife. It was the same color as Kajimoto's brothers had been, that day seven years ago.

"I didn't want to kill him," Oshitari said.

Kajimoto regarded him with a sad look. "I've hated you for a long time."

"Then why don't you kill me?" Oshitari asked. "I suppose I have it coming.'

"I don't hate you anymore." Kajimoto passed out. Oshitari thought he should probably kill him. Kajimoto was his prey after all.

"Where am I?"

"The lair of Atobe's gang," Oshitari replied. "How do you feel?"

Kajimoto sat up, and winced with the pain. "It hurts, but I'll live. Why didn't you kill me?"

"I don't know. I was going to ask you that. You have a strange power," Oshitari said.

"What?"

"Your eyes. What is that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Even while he said it, his eyes were still driving Oshitari crazy.

"Never mind." Oshitari stood to leave.

"I can't stay here. This isn't my place," Kajimoto said.

"Do you even have a place?" Oshitari asked. "Do you truly belong to that gang? Do you know what it means to belong to a gang?"

"Death," Kajimoto replied.

"I'll take you back as soon as you've healed," Oshitari said. He closed the door behind him.

-----

"Why did you save him?" Mukahi asked. "That's not like you."

"I don't know."

"That's not like you, either."

"Who am I supposed to be?"

Mukahi was startled by the tone of Oshitari's voice. He rarely got angry. He rarely showed any sort of emotion.

"What's going on with you, Yuushi?"

"I'm losing my mind," Oshitari replied.

-----

Kajimoto woke, and saw Oshitari seated in a chair beside the bed. His front half was sprawled on the bed beside Kajimoto, and he was fast asleep.

Kajimoto did not know what to make of this man. He had recognized the helmet; had recognized him as the one who had killed his brother, so many years ago. He'd been wanting revenge on this man for that long -- he'd been trying to fight this man for so long.

Now, he realized that this man was just as pathetic as he was. There was something terribly sad in his eyes that haunted Kajimoto's nightmares. It almost made him want to put his arms around Oshitari, and try to comfort him.

Comfort the one who murdered his brother.

He knew what it meant to belong to the gang. He knew it with all of his being.

He put one of the bed sheets over Oshitari, and then went back to sleep. If one of the gang members killed him in his sleep, there was nothing he could do about it. He was surprised that none of them had done it already.

-----

"He's a member of a rival gang," Atobe said. "You can't keep him here. Either kill him, or get rid of him. I don't care either way."

Oshitari did not know how to reply to that. He knew now that he couldn't kill Kajimoto, no matter how hard he tried. He had finally figured out why Kajimoto's eyes haunted him so; they were full of that same emotion that Oshitari tried so hard to forget dwelled inside of himself.

"I'll leave with him," Oshitari said, suddenly, surprising even himself.

"What?"

"I want to leave the gang," Oshitari said. "I've had enough."

"You, the killer? I thought you could never have enough."

"We were both wrong, then. What are you going to do if I leave?"

"Nothing," Atobe replied. "I don't care where you go. I'll find a replacement for you, and one that is far less disturbing."

"This is what being in the gang means," Oshitari said. "Death."

"Maybe so, but frankly, you scare me. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Oshitari did not look back.

-----

"I'm taking you back," Oshitari said. "Then I'm going to disappear."

"Disappear?"

"From the face of the Earth, I hope."

Kajimoto got out of bed, and pulled on his shirt, which was lying crumpled on the ground. It still had a large bloodstain in it.

"Do you like being in the gang, Kajimoto?"

"It's my life," he replied. "I was born into it."

"That wasn't my question."

"I hate it. My brother died because of what we are. I became a killer because of what we are. There will always be blood on my hands."

Oshitari looked down at his own hands. He could almost see the blood there.

"I want to disappear with you," Kajimoto said. "You understand, don't you?"

"Yes."

"What's this about disappearing?" Mukahi was in the doorway.

"I'm leaving, Gakuto." He looked to Kajimoto. "We're leaving."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Gakuto..."

"Yuushi. I think that one day you might go back to being your old self, and I want to see that. If you have to leave, then take me with you."

Oshitari was never good at arguing with Mukahi. "Disappear with us, then," he said. "I don't know where we're going, but I think your company would be welcome."

Mukahi smiled. He didn't smile often. "You're still Yuushi, even if you are crazy."

"Let's get going," Oshitari said.

TBC


	3. Part 3

Part 3

Oshitari liked sleeping out under the stars. Mukahi was curled up at his left side, keeping him warm. He wondered if Kajimoto was cold, lying all by himself a short distance away.

"Are you awake?" Kajimoto asked.

"Yes."

"Where are we going?"

"Nowhere."

"Can I ask you something?" Kajimoto took Oshitari's silence as a yes. "How did it feel to kill my brother?"

"He wanted to kill me," Oshitari said. "I had no choice but to defend myself. I could see his face as he died. I will never forget it."

"How did it feel, though?"

"It felt like I was the one dying," Oshitari replied. "I wanted to die. I never wanted to kill anyone, but I became Death itself."

"I thought you looked like Death."

"I never saw the face of anyone else I killed. They always wore their helmets. I found that disappointing, but when I saw your face, alive, I realized that I would never be able to kill anyone whose face I could see." Oshitari clenched his fist. "I wish I had seen your face much earlier. I wish I didn't have this much blood on my hands."

Kajimoto moved closer, and curled up on his right side. "I wish I did not have any blood on my hands. It was all for revenge against you, but you did not want to kill him. There is no need for revenge."

"This is what it means to be in the gang."

"We're not in the gang anymore."

Oshitari was very warm that night.

-----

Mizuki was not happy about his loss. He could not afford to lose anymore members of his gang. It was small enough as it was. He didn't want his gang to become extinct. He wanted to come out on top. He wanted to be the last left alive.

He needed Kajimoto back. He was a good fighter, and always won his battles. He wondered why he had lost this one.

"They probably killed him," Mizuki sighed. Yuuta blinked at him.

"Who?"

"Kajimoto. Atobe's gang probably killed him. It's a shame."

"All of the death is a shame," Yuuta said. Mizuki didn't hear him. That was an even bigger shame.

-----

Mukahi was jealous. He had wanted to be the one to make Oshitari return to his former self, and see his real smile again. He wanted Oshitari to love him again. He wanted things to be like they had once been.

He had come to realize somewhere along the line that things would never been as they once were, but he had never suspected that someone else would come along and warm Oshitari's cold heart.

"Why you?" Mukahi asked Kajimoto bitterly, one night. Oshitari was asleep under a tree. They sat by the fire, still. Mukahi gazed at Kajimoto through the flames. He was certainly very beautiful, but...why him?

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you get to be the one that Yuushi loves?"

"He doesn't love me. He killed my brother, and he feels guilty," Kajimoto said. "He feels like he owes me, so he took me with him when I asked him to."

"Yeah, but you two have this weird thing," Mukahi said, "And you'll be together for the rest of your lives. I really wanted Yuushi to love me again, but I don't think he ever will."

"Mukahi --"

"Don't talk to me right now. I really don't like you."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I."

-----

The three of them settled down in a quiet town, far away from where the gangs were. It was hard to adjust, at first. It was hard to live with the nightmares, but Oshitari managed. Maybe one day he would stop being haunted by faceless ghosts.

He doubted that.

-----

"I'm going back," Mukahi said suddenly, one day. "You don't need me."

"What?"

"I'm going back to the gang. It's where I belong," Mukahi said. "I can't stay here anymore, and watch you two. I can't."

"Gakuto..."

"I always loved you, Yuushi. Goodbye."

Mukahi walked out the door, and Oshitari didn't try to stop him.

-----

Mukahi was dying. He knew it. One of Mizuki's gang had finally succeeded. He wished that he would hurry up and die, instead of lying in pain, day after day, in his bed. Atobe sent someone in to check up on him once in a while, but there was no way he was going to survive.

He didn't want to.

"Gakuto."

Mukahi thought he was imagining that voice -- but no, it was real.

"What...what are you doing here?" Mukahi asked.

"I came for you," Oshitari said.

"Did you really?" Mukahi asked. He knew better than to hope. He knew better than to have any wishes. Life was pain.

"I love you, Gakuto."

Mukahi smiled. "Don't lie, Yuushi. You loved me. You don't love me now."

"You're wrong." Oshitari touched his cheek. "I'll always love you. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry that I changed. I'm sorry that we were born into this life. Maybe we'll have better luck in the next."

"Why did you come for me?"

"I wanted to take you away from this life."

"You're too late."

"I'm sorry, Gakuto."

Mukahi smiled weakly. "Tell Kajimoto...that I might like him after all. He made Yuushi happy."

Oshitari kissed Mukahi's forehead. "Good night, Gakuto."

"Good night."

Mukahi closed his eyes. Oshitari left the room for the last time. He returned to the village where Kajimoto was waiting for him, and returned to his arms. He would have one lover now, for as long as he lived. They would live in their regrets together, until they day they died.

There were many things that he wished, but he knew that none of them would ever come true.


End file.
